"Let no freedom be allowed to novelty, because it is not fitting that any addition should be made to antiquity. Let not the clear faith and belief of our forefathers be fouled by any muddy admixture."
-- Pope Sixtus III

Thursday, April 21, 2011

On Saturday, Bill Rusher, a friend, a mentor, and a founding father of the conservative movement, died.

In fact, Bill was the last of a relatively small group of conservatives whose intellect, energy, work, sacrifices, and passion for freedom came together in the 1940s and 1950s to launch, build, and nurture a cause that, in the 1940s, did not even have a name.

Most conservatives today would not know of even a third of these men. But without them, there would have been no conservative movement in the 1960s, certainly no Goldwater presidential campaign, and probably no Governor or President Ronald Reagan.

Just as there would have been no United States of America in the late 1700s or maybe even in the 1800s without twenty or thirty men like Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, Madison, and Henry, there would be no conservative movement in the 1950s, 1960s, and maybe never without these first-generation conservative giants.

Almost from the beginning of Bill Buckley's launch of National Review, Rusher served as its publisher. Bill once told me he was Bill Buckley's contribution (one of many) to the conservative movement, serving as ambassador without portfolio to the fledgling young conservative movement.

Bill was a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School who started his political career in New York politics, was soon involved in the Young Republicans (YR's), and in helping his friend, the future Congressman John Ashbrook, become chairman of the national YR's in 1957.

Besides helping take the leadership of the YR's away from the Eisenhower/Rockefeller wing of the party, Bill was a midwife and driving force in most all important conservative projects in the mid 1950s through the 1980s.

A short but incomplete list of his achievements would include helping build National Review to be the leading conservative voice in America, Young Americans for Freedom, the New York Conservative Party, the American Conservative Union, the Draft Goldwater Campaign, Reagan for President, and many others, including some I'm sure few, including I, know of his involvement.

In addition to his behind-the-scenes leadership of the conservative movement, Bill was a highly prolific author, long-time syndicated columnist, journalist, public speaker, debater extraordinaire, radio and TV commentator, and co-host with Michael Dukakis of a long-running TV show, "The Advocates."

On a Friday evening in July 1961, I took a plane from Houston, Texas, where I was chairman of the YR's, and flew to New York City. My friend and a cofounder of the young conservative movement, David Franke, had arranged for me to be interviewed by Rusher the following morning for the position of Executive Secretary of YAF.

As I was nervously pacing the street across from National Review's office for my 10 am appointment, a man in a bowler hat and cane, approaching from the opposite direction stopped about 15 feet from me and said, "Mr. Viguerie, I presume?" After I got over my shock of being recognized on a New York City street (I had sent a photo with my resume), I had my first of many conversations with Bill Rusher, and that morning, he launched me on my career in the conservative movement.

Shortly before Bill Buckley's death, on a Washington DC to New York shuttle, I told him that I, and every conservative I knew, would go to our grave never beginning to understand the debt we owe him. And today, I say the same for my friend Bill Rusher. At my last dinner with him, two and a half years ago in San Francisco, I wish I had said that to him directly.

2 Timothy 4:7, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

I was raised in Atlanta, Georgia by loving and hardworking parents. We grew up poor, but we grew up happy. Things weren’t always easy, but my mom and dad knew that if they kept their faith in God, faith in themselves and their faith in the greatest country in the world, they, too, could achieve their American Dream.

That dream, we discovered, was for my parents to own their own home and watch their two sons graduate from college. Those dreams required that my father work three jobs to support our family.

The first dream was realized in a brick home on Albert Street. I can still recall the excitement of the day, as he surprised us—even my mother—when he drove us to our new home.

Their second dream was realized when I proudly accepted my degree in mathematics from Morehouse College in 1967 and my brother graduated from Morris Brown College. Both of my father’s American Dreams were achieved. Now, I set off to achieve mine.

One year after graduating, I married the love of my life, Gloria. And together, we started our journey to achieve our Dreams. This meant relocating to Indiana where I would begin my Master’s degree program at Purdue University, while working full-time as a mathematician at the Department of the Navy.

After earning my Master’s degree and six years working for the Department of the Navy, we returned home to Atlanta, where I began to climb the corporate ladder with the Coca-Cola Company. I faced challenges, but I always remembered the values my parents taught me. With enough faith and determination, I knew I could go as high in corporate America as I desired.

I enjoyed a successful career at the Coca-Cola Company and later moved to the Pillsbury Company. Within a short period, I rose to the position of Vice President. When I got there, I thought I had already achieved my American Dream on the 31st floor of the new Pillsbury Corporate Headquarters with a corner office. But I quickly realized I wanted something more.

I resigned my position and started on another path- the restaurant industry. I knew that in order to be successful, I had to start from “the ground up.” This meant broiling hamburgers at Pillsbury’s Burger King division. After nine months of a grueling restaurant experience, I was assigned to lead a low performing region of 450 Burger King restaurants. Within three years, we became the best-performing region in the U.S.

I could have been content with my executive role with one of America’s biggest corporations. Instead, after consulting with my wife, we decided to take one of the biggest risks of our marriage: picking up our young family, relocating yet again and accepting the call to become CEO and President of Godfather’s Pizza, a company teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.

In 14 months, we turned the company around and returned it to profitability, and I ultimately led my management team to a buyout of Godfather’s Pizza. The company never went bankrupt, and today, there are still hundreds of locations across the U.S.

My success at turning around Godfather’s got the attention of fellow restaurateurs around the nation who invited me to join the Board of Directors of the National Restaurant Association and later elected me its chairman. In 1996, they retained me as the full-time President and the CEO of the National Restaurant Association, working on behalf of thousands of small businesses and entrepreneurs.

In 1994, as chairman of the National Restaurant Association, I had the opportunity to speak with President Clinton during a nationally televised town hall meeting. Here, I challenged the President regarding the impact on businesses if his health care overhaul proposal were passed.

President Clinton attempted to assure me and the millions of viewers watching at home that his legislation would not harm American business owners and their employees.

I was skeptical. “Quite honestly Mr. President, your calculations are incorrect,” I said. “In the competitive marketplace, it simply doesn’t work that way.”

Through these and other appearances on behalf of the National Restaurant Association, I began working with business leaders across all sectors of the American economy. This led to my acceptance of a position on the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, and I was subsequently elected their chairman.

Today, I host a radio talk show, “The Herman Cain Show,” on Atlanta’s WSB 750 AM/ 95.5 FM. I serve as a regular contributor on several broadcast networks and as a keynote speaker at conferences and events around the nation.

Despite the many professional commitments of my life, I continued to enjoy most the time spent with family and friends. As my children got married and had their own children, I knew that I had an extraordinary obligation to do what I could to make this a safe and prosperous nation for them. The paramount joys in my life are my wife, Gloria, our children and our grandchildren.

I am grateful for the many professional successes I have enjoyed. I am grateful for the steadfast loyalty and unwavering love of my family and friends. And I am grateful for this country that is so exceptional that I was afforded the opportunity to achieve my American Dreams.

I’m not done yet!

And for Vice President...

[Oops! Haley's out as of 4/25/2011. Never mind the part below. Maybe Cain and Santorum...]

This is how they've taken a 2-1 lead in a best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

They are minus-4 on special teams, having not scored on the power play and allowing the Lightning four advantage markers.

Three scoring-line forwards have scored, but only right wing Tyler Kennedy has actually beaten Lightning goalie Dwayne Roloson with a shot.

Of course, that shot provided the winning goal Monday night in a 3-2 victory at St. Pete Times Forum -- a victory that reclaimed home-ice advantage for the Penguins, who can take full command of the series with a win here Wednesday night.

Defenseman Brooks Orpik, who along with right wing Arron Asham is tied for the team lead in series points with three, didn't sound sure after Game 3 if the Penguins can keep winning with a power play that can't score and a penalty kill that is "not doing all so well."

"Given that, anyone would take a 2-1 (series) lead," he said.

The Penguins took this lead by flipping the script on the Lightning, which raced to a Game 2 victory Friday night at Consol Energy Center by bolting to a 3-0 lead in the opening period.

The Penguins were ahead, 2-0, less than seven minutes into Game 3.

Asham converted a 2-on-1 feed from forward Mike Rupp into a 2-0 lead at 6:31 -- just 45 seconds after forward Max Talbot capped off a 3-on-2 rush by whipping a puck behind Roloson.

"They did exactly what we did to them in Game 2," Lightning left wing Simon Gagne said. "They came out harder. Playoff hockey, when you score the first goal, it is huge."

It is in this series, with the team that scores first going 3-0.

Quick-strike goals have been a way of life for the Penguins against the Lightning.

Asham is part of a group of role-playing forwards carrying the Penguins' offensive load.

He, fellow fourth-liner Craig Adams, and third-line center Talbot have combined for four of the Penguins' seven series markers.

Actually, Kennedy is a role player by nature, too. At least, he had been over three previous seasons before injuries to several top-line scorers this season provided him an opportunity to play more minutes.

He scored 13 of his career-best 21 regular-season goals after former scoring-champion centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were lost with injuries.

Also during that stretch of 29 games, Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was outstanding most often -- and he was again in Game 3, stopping 25 shots and allowing on two power-play goals to Lightning right wing Martin St. Louis.

The Lightning has scored four of its seven series goals on the advantage -- a sure sign that the Penguins miss suspended left wing Matt Cooke, one of the NHL's better penalty-killing forwards.

"They get good shots from all around, and they've got guys standing in front, skilled guys waiting for rebounds," Fleury said of the Lightning's power play. "That's what makes them good."

Not good enough to be in front after three games, though -- and now the Lightning face a daunting task of beating the Penguins in a Game 4.

The only opponent to do it during coach Dan Bylsma's tenure is also the lone Eastern Conference team to win a playoff series against the Penguins over the past three postseasons.

The Montreal Canadiens, after losing Game 3, won Game 4 at home in Round 2 last season - and they finished off the Penguins in seven games.

The NHL's supplementary discipline process was at work once again this morning as the League announced (via Bob McKenzie Tweets ) that Pittsburgh Penguins forward Chris Kunitz and Steve Downie of the Tampa Bay Lightning have been suspended one game each for separate hits in last night's Game 3 of their series. First, the two hits that caused a spinning of the Wheel of Justice this morning:

Correia (3-1) walked two and struck out five to notch his second career complete game. His previous low for hits allowed was six, set in 2009 while he was pitching for San Diego.

The Pirates are 7-3 in road games for the first time since 2003. They've won their first three road series of the season for the first time since 2002.

Also, the Pirates have seven road victories against NL Central foes. Last year, they did not reach that mark until June 30.

The Pirates worked over left-hander Travis Wood for three runs in the first inning. Wood threw 42 pitches and the Pirates got four hits -- although none of them was scorched, they got the job done.

With one out, Jose Tabata walked. Matt Diaz squibbed a grounder into shallow right field, sending Tabata to third. Neil Walker shattered his bat and sent the ball over the head of second baseman Miguel Cairo for an RBI single.

It was the second night in a row the Pirates built a quick lead. They have scored seven runs in the first inning of the past two games, after scoring a total of four runs in the first innings of the first 14 games.

Pearce made just his second career start at third base in place of Pedro Alvarez, who was benched as he fights through a batting slump. Pearce's inexperience at the position showed in the second inning.

With Scott Rolen at third and none out, Jonny Gomes grounded sharply to Pearce. Pearce looked twice at Rolen, then rushed his throw to first base. The ball sailed over Lyle Overbay's head and Rolen scored on the error.

The Pirates tacked on five runs in the fourth -- their season high for runs in an inning. Andrew McCutchen had a two-run double to knock Wood (1-2) out of the game.

TRIPOLI, Libya – NATO military commanders conceded Tuesday they are unable to stop Moammar Gadhafi's shelling of the rebel-held city of Misrata, where hospitals are overwhelmed with casualties, while Britain said it will dispatch senior military officers to advise the opposition.

Misrata, Libya's third-largest city, has been under siege for nearly two months, with rebels holding on to seaside positions in the port area. In recent days, Libyan troops have pounded the city with shells and rockets.

Rebels and troops clashed Tuesday in central Misrata, and explosions and gunfire were heard. NATO strikes only targeted radars and air defenses, said Abdel-Salam, a resident who identified himself only by his given name for fear of retaliation. Hospitals are filled with the wounded, and 120 patients need to be evacuated, the World Health Organization said.

A United Nations' humanitarian agency was cool to an idea by the European Union to deploy an armed force to escort humanitarian aid in Libya, saying it was still able to use civilian assets on the ground. The proposal also drew a warning from Gadhafi's regime that this would be tantamount to a military operation.

The fighting in Libya has been deadlocked for the past month. Gadhafi is holding on in the west, while the rebels control the east. NATO airstrikes have kept Gadhafi loyalists in check, but the rebels, poorly trained with little military experience, have not been able to score military gains, either.

As the allies seek to break the battlefield stalemate, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Britain will send a team of up to 20 senior military advisers to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi to help organize the haphazard opposition forces.

Hague said advisers would not supply weapons to the rebels or assist in their attacks on Gadhafi's forces but would work with British diplomats already cooperating with the National Transitional Council, the political wing of the rebel movement, which has been officially recognized by Italy, France and Qatar.

Let Fyodor lay some reality on you kiddies. Evil giant corporations [and the obamanaire who owns your local Kwiki-Mart and grosses over $250K] don't really pay taxes levied by your favorite commie on their business. And I'm not talking about Benito's butt-boy Jeff Immelt and GE.

Corporate taxes are just another cost of doing business, like payroll, loan interest, and capital expenses. ALL these costs are passed on to those who buy the corporation's goods and services. That's you and me, kiddies.

When any commie raises any tax, the only folks who get stuck paying them are the middle class and the poor - the very citizens Emperor Haile Unlikely professes to love with all his blackish, hardened heart.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A murder charge against the woman who falsely accused three Duke lacrosse players of raping her is but the latest problem for a woman friends say is still haunted by the stigma of the lacrosse case.

Crystal Mangum, 32, was indicted Monday on a charge of first-degree murder and two counts of larceny. She has been in jail since April 3, when police charged her with assault in the stabbing of her boyfriend Reginald Daye, 46. He died after nearly two weeks at a hospital.

An attorney for Mangum did not return a call seeking comment. The district attorney's office declined to discuss the case.

Friends said Mangum has never recovered from the stigma brought by the lacrosse case and has been involved in a string of questionable relationships in an attempt to provide stability for her children.

Mangum, who is black, falsely accused the white lacrosse players of raping her at a 2006 party for which she was hired to perform as a stripper. The case heightened long-standing tensions in Durham about race, class and the privileged status of college athletes.

The district attorney who championed Mangum's claims was later disbarred. North Carolina's attorney general eventually declared the players innocent of a "tragic rush to accuse."

Last year, she was convicted on misdemeanor charges after setting a fire that nearly torched her home with her three children inside. In a videotaped police interrogation, she told officers she got into a confrontation with her boyfriend at the time — not Daye — and burned his clothes, smashed his car windshield and threatened to stab him.

A federal judge recently ruled the three players accused of rape — Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and Dave Evans — can pursue a lawsuit against former District Attorney Mike Nifong and the police investigators who handled their case. The players have not sued Mangum.

Vincent Clark, a friend who co-authored Mangum's self-published memoir, said he hopes people don't rush to judgment — echoing one of the oft-cited lessons of the lacrosse case itself.

Clark said Mangum realizes she has mental health problems.

"I'm sad for her. I hope people realize how difficult it is being her," Clark said.

Even when Daye's nephew talked to a 911 dispatcher after the stabbing, he referenced the notoriety Mangum still carries.

"It's Crystal Mangum. THE Crystal Mangum," said the nephew, whose name was removed from a publicly-released version of the emergency call. "I told him she was trouble from the damn beginning."

The University of Notre Dame football program relied upon outdated weather information and did not check wind advisories on the day that a hydraulic lift toppled and killed team videographer Declan Sullivan, according to an internal report released Monday.

Sullivan, a 20-year-old film and marketing student from suburban Long Grove, was working as a paid employee of the school's athletic department on Oct. 27, when he went up in an aerial scissor lift to record practice.

The National Weather Service had issued a wind advisory for the day, and gusts reached 53 mph about the time of Sullivan's fall. The lift carrying him crashed through a fence and landed on an adjacent street.

The report states that “no one acted in disregard for safety” on the day of the accident. Rather, a “sudden and extraordinary” wind and insufficient, long-standing protocols led to Sullivan’s death, officials said.

“The university is collectively responsible,” said the Rev. John Jenkins, Notre Dame’s president. “Insofar as the president is responsible for the university as a whole, I am the individual who bears the most responsibility and I accept that responsibility.”

According to the report, the football program’s policy was to keep the videographers off the lifts if the winds reached more than 35 mph. After coach Brian Kelly opted to hold practice outside, the staff checked the wind speeds six times during the day to make sure they had not exceeded the threshold.

In keeping with international standards, the lift industry recommends grounding the equipment when winds exceed 28 mph. But Notre Dame had a threshold of 35 mph based upon information gleaned at conferences and talking to other teams, the report said.

When checking weather websites, the staff saw reports of 23 mph sustained winds with 30 mph gusts prior to practice, according to the report. Computer forensics show that no one on the staff clicked on a wind advisory icon that warned of possible winds exceeding 50 mph, said John Affleck-Graves, the university’s executive vice president.

Eight minutes after the football staff checked the weather for the final time, the National Weather Service reported wind gusts up to 38 miles per hour in South Bend. There were no wind gauges on the field, so the staff depended on their own observations to determine if the conditions were safe.

“According to interviews, no one perceived the wind as unusual and no one discerned that wind speeds were increasing in severity during practice,” the report states.

Sullivan, however, expressed concerns about the wind in messages posted on social media sites shortly before his death.

"Gusts of wind up to 60 mph today will be fun at work ... I guess I've lived long enough," he wrote.

While on the lift, he tweeted again.

“Holy (expletive). Holy (expletive) this is terrifying,” he wrote.

University officials said they could not explain Sullivan’s mindset and did not know why he didn’t lower his lift if he felt it was unsafe. The football program fosters an atmosphere that encourages videographers to put their personal safety before the team’s practice needs, the report said.

The report states: “Notre Dame cannot conclusively determine whether Declan, himself, felt unsafe and pressured to stay in the lift. While on the lift, Declan posted two tweets, one of which stated: ‘This is terrifying.’ Student videographers indicated their belief that the tweets likely reflected his joking nature, adding that his use of that word was common. The student videographers also stated that they did not believe they were in real danger.”

The Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined the South Bend campus $77,500 last month for ignoring industry standards that could have prevented Sullivan's death. The university report, however, takes exception with the agency’s ruling that Notre Dame knowingly operated the lifts in dangerous weather conditions.

"Although the University respects IOSHA’s view, the Investigation did not find any evidence that University employees knew they were using lifts in wind speeds which exceeded lift capabilities. Although employees monitored wind data frequently throughout the day prior to leaving for practice, they never saw reported wind speeds that exceeded the 35 mph wind-safety procedure,” the report states. “The staff made a subjective, good faith judgment based upon the weather information they had reviewed.”

No one was disciplined for their role in the accident, Jenkins said. The football athletic trainer, who oversees team safety, has since been given a new job title and increased responsibilities.

Officials acknowledged that the campus risk management department was unaware the team used the lifts to record practices. Football videographers were trained to use the lifts by the athletic department and did not receive the campus-required instruction for lift operators, according to the report.

In light of the report, the university will adopt several new safety protocols, including the installation of on-field wind gauges and the adoption of a wind-speed standard to operate lifts.

The university will also work with IOSHA, the NCAA and a collegiate videographers association on a national safety campaign for hydraulic lift use.

“I think we’re all collectively focused on making sure nothing like this happens again,” Kelly said.

Sullivan’s family thanked the university for a “comprehensive and thorough” review of the accident and indicated it would join Notre Dame’s effort to promote the safe use of hydraulic lifts.

“For us, that’s the most important aspect of the report,” said Sullivan’s uncle Mike Miley, the family’s spokesman. “We want to prevent this from happening in the future.”

The Sullivan family repeatedly has expressed its appreciation to the Notre Dame community for its support. They continue to work with university officials on ways to honor Declan's memory on the South Bend campus, where his younger sister is a freshman.

About Me

First of all, the word is SEX, not GENDER. If you are ever tempted to use the word GENDER, don't. The word is SEX! SEX! SEX! SEX! For example: "My sex is male." is correct.
"My gender is male." means nothing. Look it up.
What kind of sick neo-Puritan nonsense is this? Idiot left-fascists, get your blood-soaked paws off the English language. Hence I am choosing "male" under protest.